Monica Marchante: Sports journalism is sick. I hear questions of embarrassment

Madrid-based sports journalist Monica Marchante has declared that Spanish sports journalism is sick, citing questions she describes as embarrassing during her recent interview with El Pais. The 58-year-old veteran, who began working in the field in 1988, stated that she still receives inquiries asking whether she likes football, even from industry insiders. She said she finds such questions so offensive that she no longer bothers to answer them. Her comments came amid ongoing tensions involving Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, whose recent remarks about a female columnist sparked debate within the profession. Marchante recounted her early experiences entering the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the 1982 World Cup final, where she had to convince her parents to let her attend after seeing Brazilian fans resell tickets. Decades later, security staff at the same venue nearly removed her from the stands because they mistook her microphone for stolen property. She has covered matches from the press box and produced documentaries for Movistar Plus featuring figures such as Javier Clemente, Luis Aragoness, and Perico Delgado. When asked about Perez’s comment that a woman writer might not know football, Marchante suggested that many men of his age would have made similar statements. She attributed his remark to his generation and life experience, comparing it to her parents’ advice against pursuing sports journalism due to poor career prospects. She noted that she would have questioned Perez extensively regarding the club's current situation, specifically mentioning bank manager Anas Laghari and specific decision-making processes. Marchante argued that current journalistic trends often focus on referees to distract from other issues, a path set by the clubs themselves. She acknowledged that media companies fear powerful entities like Perez, Barcelona, LaLiga, and the Football Federation, stating that denying this fear would be dishonest. While more women work in sports media today, Marchante observed that they are often limited by age and physical appearance standards. She claimed these women rarely reach leadership positions, just as she did not. She described how colleagues celebrate surviving another year on screen, noting that sexism persists despite its disguised nature. Meanwhile, Real Madrid supporters continued their campaign against referee Juan Manuel Lopez Menendez, known as Negreira, during a Champions League match. A group identified as Grada Fans RMCF, which is controlled by the club, unfurled a banner reading "No impunity for Negreira." This action mirrored protests from the previous league match against Sevilla, where fans spent the first six minutes chanting against what the club views as a refereeing conspiracy. The group chanted "Negreira keeps whistling" and "Laporta keeps paying," demanding the resignation of LaLiga president Javier Tebas. Most other spectators ignored the chants while Arda Guler scored the second goal for Madrid. The club recently submitted a dossier to UEFA seeking sporting sanctions related to the controversy. European officials indicated privately that they will take no action until Spanish courts rule on the matter.